Rise of the Star

There are about 300 billion stars in the galaxy, with the distance between them measured in light-years, and even if the Astoria Empire had mastered a way to travel between stars, it would still take a while to get somewhere, especially if you're checking where you're going. Therefore, it would be understandable if it took so long to find other spacefaring civilizations. The Raff were merely their closest neighbors, but around the year 987 After Arrival they would discover a new civilization that had conquered stars. A new First Contact began.

It was a much more boring time in the empire, if that boredom dispersed with the arrival of this new event. As time passed, better and better ways of going about things have been researched. The thirty systems that were planned as the extent of Empire space had not just been fully scanned, but scrutinized for any anomalies, and there were archeological digs ongoing into even more peculiar events. Technology had kept going as did societal research.

While classical economy still proved an incentive for people to try and seek no challenge, to try and dump their issues on others while riding on the success of their predecessors like it was the natural way of life, there were still many measures done to ensure the place did not go to shit. There were numerous programs designed to ensure that great minds did not suffer from a lack of opportunity and that their rich only had greater pleasure rather than a much easier path. Great times HAD to bring forth strong people or there might be another economic recession like when corporations bought all the housing and made home ownership impossible. Thankfully, that situation was solved by a forced seizure by the government rather than a revolt. And you can't much call it a seizure if that property was bought, if with a strong incentive to sell.

They were on the brink of more than just a new era of communication. But, the other ships. As before, First Contact was an effort that took months. The amazing discovery made halfway into that process was that the language of these beings was not actually language, rather they were communicating in computer bits. Yes, when you intercept electronic communications, all of them are in computer bits, but deciphering that led to nothing approaching a conventional logic. That meant that either these people were using brain-computer interfaces to get around needing a language... or they were something else.

Robots. A civilization of exclusively synthetic beings under the command of a grand artificial intelligence. Could one even call this a civilization? Yes. They had something approaching culture, mannerisms, and art for art's sake... while the individual units might have less personality than your average human, they certainly were above their current AI models. The empire had only mastered droids... which were putting a much better show of thinking, but they were still just doing a very good job of copying human results rather than reproducing them by original design. They were not popular and most preferred a biological form.

Once the envoy was satisfied not just with having a full grasp of their information exchange protocol but also with the overview of their workings, it was time to set up that first meeting by sending a message over. The bots were not slouching and were just a tad behind them, the key they received being enough to get in on the talks. They had found a new neighbor.

And this one was much more pleasant than the Raff.

*

Evelyn felt like this had to be even more impressive than meeting their other neighbors. A synthetic civilization was so incredibly different from theirs that it might be hard to relate to them. But they were fascinating in their own way and might no doubt provide some insights even if it was unintentional. Already were their scientists trying to use the information she had forwarded.

They set up a meeting on an envoy ship, just like the last time, with a similar setup. The guards were much more relaxed this time since the metal heads did not seem to be as trigger-happy, rather getting the feel they were industrial units. The message was received that the envoy units had come onboard and were walking toward the room.

As the door slid open, the three Nex units came into view. They were BIG, with each unit almost identical, a large "torso" from which four limbs extended, those limbs appearing to have some telescopic ability and great strength. Their torso had a big pane of plexiglass in front, behind which sensors surveyed the room and the entities, the computer inside considering their approach. They walked, much as humans did, to face the human and her two bodyguards.

"The Astoria Empire greets you." The woman said that while her shoulder-mounted translator would this time translate that into signals to send to the units. "I hope we can have a pleasant coexistence, Nex Builders."

It was already a show of politeness that the center unit was equipped with something to speak English. It was stiff and emotionless, but you could do worse.

"The Nex Builders greet you. I have been authorized by the Oversight unit to establish communications. Forwarding request for efficient understanding as our intelligence has less experience in interacting with biological entities."

"I think we can understand that. We are different. And yet, we may be able to work together. Humans do have more experience in this as we had to do this with each other for a long time. I assume it is far more efficient for you."

"Correct. Information and directives are efficiently communicated with no internal conflicts." Beat. "Few internal conflicts." Okay, you could get some deviant units.

She was standing, following the previous idea of letting the guests sit down first. But they did not. Robots don't sit. So Evelyn had to suggest it. A wave of her hand to the couch behind them.

"Perhaps we can sit down? It can help create a less tense atmosphere."

"Please clarify the purpose of reducing tensile force and the process of 'sit down'."

Now she had to explain this to a robot. Drawing on her education, the younger woman thought how they might best see the advantages of it... and its utility.

"Humans... and other biological units that walk on two feet, are not built for constant operation while standing upright, needing plentiful rest from the act. Sitting down, as in letting our torso and... backside... handle the weight rather than our legs, allows for rest. Also, it has a great social impact as we would be both slightly inconvenienced should any violent act be suggested, as standing up would need to be done before any other physical action. Think of it like a show of mutual disarmament to assure of our intentions."

"Acknowledged. These units have no combat hardware beyond standard-issue. We will engage in this act to show the Oversight's design."

It was very artificially done, but the couch could hold them and it still gave them an immediate increase in apparent humanity. Evelyn followed suit just after they got to it. Not just catering to human whims, as this was a fascinating moment for the robots as well, this simple moment being quite educational.

"Such events are highly-social, even if the movements might seem wasteful, without purpose or the result of pointless tradition, there is a wisdom to them. Consider that it also shows rapport... when we do the same things together, it can make us see each other as not so different."

"Acknowledged. Similarity, enforced through a replication of actions can create the hypothesis of equivalence. We will incorporate this into our approach. The transfer of information will be reciprocated in line with this practice."

"Appreciated. Perhaps we can set up such an exchange of ideas. While we might have a better grasp on interactions and biology, I am sure you can teach us a lot about engineering."

"Correct. Analysis of astorian construction shows 257 opportunities for improvement."

"Ooh... didn't think we were doing that badly. I do hope some of them are not because of our different way of life. Do... units... of the Nex have housing in any way approaching ours?"

"Negative. Storage of recharging units or those undergoing maintenance is efficient and compact. By comparison, astorians use 1405% more space for habitation."

"That is just how it is. And not just for a traditional reason. Humans need... a bit more in terms of comfort and space."

"This seems a great inefficiency. And yet analysis shows that the empire is relatively equivalent in production and discovery despite no great difference in unit number. Can this discrepancy be explained?" They were curious.

Evelyn smiled. This was going SO much better than with the Raff.

"Remember that mention of sitting down because we aren't built for constant operation? Consider that when we do stand up we might perform much better than a constant baseline."

"You are describing the process of overclocking with a required repair." A pause. "Concept logged as high priority."

"I think you are getting it. Yes, humans consume more space, more food, resources, we need all these comforts and toys and distractions... but when we get down to work we aren't a constant, we push ourselves to the point that all that seems like a worthy investment."

"And thus, a result from lower hours of operation with a high cost of maintenance results in higher production and operational ability. Discrepancy solved."

"You seem to enjoy this."

"Discovery of practical advancement produces a pleasant feedback cycle. Analysis complete. The Nex Oversight observes viable improvements that can be learned from interaction with Astoria Empire, and in return, we can provide compatible information for the improvement of astorian designs. This exchange has been approved."

"I think we'd call that a research agreement. And we might need to go over the details, but our leaders might sure appreciate it."

There they go again disobeying James's speech, but the Nex Builders were quite the pleasant bunch. Yes, it was a civilization of robots under the absolute control of a grand AI that might make the Outsider look stupid, but that AI was not malevolent. Big and powerful computers do not automatically turn into things that are dangerous to human life. True, their planets were not built with humans in mind and were so damned polluted that it would hurt to go there, they had barely any idea how people worked and it might take a while for their worlds even to have some designated places where you could welcome living beings.

Not even an idea of having any sort of disagreement. They were going at it in their systems, the astorians were minding their business over here. A research agreement was not so much about sharing all their technology with each other, but with plentiful ideas being exchanged, enough to help things along. They communicated mostly through electronic channels, and the things were above their current AI to the point that the scientists LIKED talking to them.

And then they would discover more strange vessels... more and more. The envoys were busy with first contact more than with their current contacts. They would discover bird people, space pirates, and the most daunting contacts in the void... leviathans. Now, space was not JUST empires doing their thing... it was full of some other stuff, like AI-driven ships that were left running, their focus on mining and self-replication keeping them around, they found giant amoebas that fed on atmospheric gasses of gas giants and were particularly territorial... and then they found BIG THINGS. Big even compared to the amoebas that were bigger than their corvettes.

The first one, even if it might qualify as such only by technicality, was an automated dreadnought that still patrolled a system with a thorough readiness to destroy any that approached, whatever civilization created it was long gone, but it was still there, self-repair keeping it active and some mysterious power source keeping it going. Their fleet had no chance against it, so that system would have to be avoided. These giants might no doubt provide quite the boon to research and resources if they were bested, but that was for a much later time.

For now, the empire had some new aliens to say hello to.

*

"And you say this is a religious song?"

"Indeed, this is the song of the Outsider."

On the high-placed private balcony, the current overseer, a relatively fresh one of only thirty years was seated beside the delegate from the Venitah Primacy. The bird-person stood upright, but their mouth was a beak, beady eyes right above them, and a multicolored plumage erupting from their head outward. Apparently, the bigger and richer that plumage, the more "blessed" they were considered. His beak could not produce the proper vocalization in English, so they went with a translator. There was a great disconnect between their movements and words.

The grand theatre was performing that particular song as a show of their skill, not needing the blessing of a Home to play it right. This was in-between the performance of the band's own songs, but it was received well. The Escapist was given a good show. And James was checking it out in his own way.

"I feel it lacks in any... higher notes. As in something to promise that calling, that reward for being true. Any of our songs of the Great Rest should bring followers to knees rather than jumping on their feet."

"Perhaps that is a difference in how we practice our faith. The Outsider told us to stand up against all, including him. He might be offended if we knelt."

"Your faith needs work. It should bring people to their knees. Perhaps we can assist you to adjust these words of the Outsider."

"While we welcome the offer, I think the Outsider might be even more offended by that. We'll let him tell us anything that needs adjusting."

Peter found it amusing how the adherent follower of a religion could not get the hint that they had an ACTUAL god. Perhaps for them religion was just your usual made-up lie, and those on the higher ranks knew it well. Or he was a true believer and thought they were doing it wrong. This was the most entertaining secret to keep from the aliens. Truth was for family, but since these might be enemies, they could tell some lies. Those who might develop a very close relationship with Astoria could possibly learn that the Outsider is REAL, but the rest could go on and think it was just another religion with a prophetic figure that was as divine as the next man.

The Primacy was further away from their systems, one of their newest contacts. The avian race stood far taller than humans, but had no capability of flight. Their low-gravity homeworld had made them grow tall and fragile, leading to a species that completely skipped gunpowder weapons since they could shatter their shoulders. Theirs was an empire where faith came first, but there was a significant militarist sentiment. They did not go to war, they went on crusades.

Still, it was looking like this second attempt at talking was not going too well. They impressed well enough during first contact, but now he could sense that this dignitary was noticing they weren't mindless believers. Such it is. Peter did not much care as James did tell them to not base themselves on cooperating with aliens.

"Have you received the newest suggestion that has passed through diplomatic channels?"

"I do not remember anything to have been sent our way from the Primacy."

"No, we have not, and thus we will now. Among those that my people are in contact with, after noticing that we are more than expected, there came a suggestion. The Galactic Community."

"Hm. What would that entail? I assume it is in some way functional."

"There have been no details set in stone yet." He must praise that translator for even being able to do such sayings. "But it would require both a physical meeting place and an organization. We would come together and see about establishing much wider, universal cooperation... through voted measures and possibly more."

"It sounds like a way for us all to cooperate. Is it more than an idea or just that?"

"That depends if we wish to support such an idea. We have considered it worthwhile. But do you? I understand you would speak for the empire."

"Yes... I do. However, in Astoria we believe in voting on big matters. I will offer the suggestion to my community and they will send it further. We will have an answer in a week."

"I understand that founding such an endeavor might be quite... useful. But, whether you offer it to us or another, the importance is if you will become a member... and assist in the efforts." The bird-person stood, even as the band was still performing. "If you are not offended, I would prefer we retreat to our rest. It is quite tiring to be present in such an environment."

"We will see you there safely."

The Primacy would not be on the short list of empires that Astoria liked. But the vote would be sent. Peter even asked James if they should do it, valuing his opinion a bit more than that of the average person, but James did know better.

"Ah, yes... Space EU. I'd rather say tell them to fuck off, but it can be useful to speedrun through almost all of the contacts out there. It's gonna be unpleasant at first since there are more powerful empires out there and there is NO equal vote, rather weighted on your research, population, territory, military.... And we're just above the midline. Or maybe just beneath it. However, if we get to the point of outshining them in everything, we can pretty much dictate everything in it. Though, I assume everyone else wants that."

"This goes back to your words on it being a competition."

"Oh, yes... this is where you are gonna see it unfold even more. Everyone will vote specifically to pull down their rivals, either local or political, they're gonna try to pass regulations that make them shine and bury us in bureaucracy. But we might also see some proper ideas come out, ideas we can use. So... you can go either way."

They would. As the question came from several other sources, their contacts would increase as the project commenced. First, they needed a forum where such decisions would be made, and decided to place it in the system of one of the more powerful empires, specifically the Zynn. That forum would move around a lot as power dynamics shifted. The political machine between space empires was getting its arena and now the empire would learn why James said what he did... because it was true. Even the nicest only went for what was useful to them, but there were a few that they could reliably account to vote in their favor, simply because they had aligned interests. The Nex would also be there and they needed a grand education in politics... thankful to get one from their new friend.

The great game had begun.

*

Living on Solaria was like persisting after the apocalypse. Their houses and other facilities were built within decently-restored buildings, travel was more by shuttle than the scary walkways and you could not escape the sight of the ruins, even if they were moderately improved. They were twenty-five years away from figuring out the technology to maintain buildings like this... after which the empire might restore the ecumenopolis. The moon was not a pleasant sight, as the celestial body nicknamed "Lunaria" was a blasted wasteland where at some point life had flourished and now you could see the artificial craters from down here.

Lucy was taking her coffee break on the balcony, the space around her shiny and clean while her view was of corroded skyscrapers. It was a long way down and she didn't like to think about it. The woman was twenty-eight and she was born on this planet, though at times she cursed her parents for having the bright idea to come down here. But it wasn't that bad and you could still score decent food, lounges, services... there was a lot of business to be made here.